Ingot head heating arrangement for use in steel mills and the like



1965 H. J. KIRSCHNING ETAL 3,220,069

INGOT HEAD HEATING ARRANGEMENT FOR USE Y IN STEEL MILLS AND THE LIKE Original Filed March 8. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 30, 1965 IN STEEL MILLS AND THE LIKE Original Filed March 8. 1960 &

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. J. KIRSCHNING ETAL 3,220,069 INGO'I' HEAD HEATING ARRANGEMENT FOR USE IN STEEL MILLS AND THE LIKE Original Filed March 8. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 30, 1965 v INVENTORQ United States Patent This application is a continuation of our patent application Serial No. 13,516 filed March 8, 1960, entitled Ingot Head Heating Arrangement for Use in Steel Mills and the Like, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to an arrangement for heating the heads of ingots in steel manufacturing plants, and more particularly to an arrangement for are heating the heads of slab ingots and block ingots in mills for the production of plain steel ingots and the like.

It is already knOWn to heat the heads of ingots in order to prevent the formation of pipe. In accordance with one prior proposal, use is made of comparatively long, rod-shaped, air-cooled arc electrodes which are mounted for movement along a supporting framework, the latter being provided with a sole plate by means of which it may be installed on the head of an ingot mold. A serious drawback of such system is that they require too much space which is sometimes available in certain mills for the production of high grade steel but is not available in most steel plants of presently known design. In addition, such heating systems must be provided with cranes or similar lifting and transporting means in order to move the same between the successive ingot heads which require heating. However, in the more recent plain steel mills, the distance between the casting ladle which is conveyed above the ingot molds along the customary pouring or teeming platforms and the upper {edges of ingot molds is very small; in addition, the casting ladle normally at least partially overlaps two or more ingot molds. Consequently, the above described prior heating arrangement can be applied to an ingot mold only after the casting ladle is moved a certain distance into pouring position above the adjacent ingot mold or molds. The time required for such movements of the casting ladle is often too long to avoid the formation of pipe in the head of an ingot. Thus, in a plain steel mill, the application of a heating arrangement for the ingot heads is successful only if the ingots can be heated beneath the casting ladle while the latter remains free to advance into teeming position over the subsequent ingot molds.

According to another prior proposal, a water cooled arc electrode is mounted on a carriage which is movable longitudinally of the teeming platform. However, such arrangement, too, exhibits a number of serious drawbacks. It is considered necessary that the teeming platform remain free of any projecting parts before and after each teeming operation. This is required in order to aovid accidents and also to enable the platform to freely perform all movements necessary for the teeming operation. In addition, such modified heating arrangement also fails to solve the problem which arises because of the narrowness of space between the underside of the casting ladle and the upper ends of ingot molds in a plain steel mill or the like. Owing to considerable length of the electrode, it is often difficult or plain impossible to introduce the electrode into such a narrow space.

3,229,969 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 An important object of the present invention is to provide a heating arrangement for the heads of ingots formed in the ingot molds of plants for the production of plain steel and the like which can be readily and conveniently installed in and removed from the narrow space provided between the underside of the casting ladle and the open upper ends of ingot molds in such installations.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of the just outlined characteristics which is of very simple and lightweight construction, which may be readily operated by the hand of an operator or by remote control, which may be readily separated from its supporting structure and placed into operative relationship with another ingot mold, which is mounted in such a way that it may be readily adjusted in any desired direction, and which does not obstruct the movements of the casting ladle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heating arrangement which is constructed in such a way that it may be readily utilized in connection with many types of open-top ingot molds, i.e. with molds known as bigend-up, big-end-down, or bottle-top ingot molds.

A concomitant object of the instant invention is to provide a heating arrangement for the heads of ingots in ingot molds which is equally useful in connection with so-called slab ingots as well as with those known as block ingots.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a heating arrangement of the above outlined characteristics which may be readily installed in steel plants of presently known design without requiring substantial modifications of such installations.

With the above objects in view, the invention resides essentially in the provision of a teeming platform which is formed with two rows of openings. Each opening in one of said rows may receive upright main supporting means for adjustably mounting an electrode, and each opening of the other set provides access to electric and cooling connections for the electrode. The electrode is mounted on the preferably bent end portion of an elongated tubular supporting member which contains the conduits and conductors leading to the aforementioned connections. The tubular supporting member is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and is preferably mounted in such a way that it can also perform movements in at least one additional direction, i.e. it may be swung in a horizontal plane and/ or in a vertical plane. Owing to such adjustability of the electrode-supporting tubular member, the electrode may be conveniently introduced into and through a very narrow space as long as the width of such space at least slightly exceeds the diameter of the tubular member. Consequently, the electrode may be introduced into the open upper end of an ingot mold immediately after the mold is filled with molten metal regardless of whether or not the casting ladle still overlaps the filled mold. The tubular electrode-supporting member or pipe is carried by a suitable sleeve mounted on the aforementioned upright means which is removably inserted into the teeming platform and which may be received in any one of the aforementioned first row of openings.

The adjustments in the position of the electrode may be carried out by hand or by suitable motor means connected with a cable line, a rack-and-pinion drive or the like. The openings for receiving the electrode-supporting and adjusting means are preferably provided close to the longitudinal edge portion of the teeming platform, and the areas of openings leading to the connections for coolant and electric cur-rent are selected in such a way that the preferably flexible conduits and conductors leading to the electrode are not obstructed when the position of the electrode is adjusted angularly about the axis of its tubular supporting means, in a horizontal plane, and/or in a vertical plane.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of two specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic top plan view of a horizontal teeming platform of the type presently utilized in many steel producing plants, further showing the casting ladle and a series of aligned ingot molds;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of the teeming platform with the casting ladle omitted, further showing the improved heating arrangement mounted on the teeming platform,

the view of FIG. 2 being a partial section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line II-II of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2, as seen in the direction of arrows;

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged side elevational view of the arc electrode and of the combined supporting and adjusting means therefor;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken along the line V-V of FIG. 4, as seen in the direction of arrows; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of modified supporting and adjusting means for the electrode.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, and first to FIG. 1, there is shown a series of ingot molds 1 arranged in a row parallel with the front edge portion of the teeming platform 2 whose upwardly extending rear wall is identified by reference numeral 3.

Since the pouring nozzle 5 is normally eccentric with respect to the vertical axis of the casting ladle 4, the latter nearly completely covers two ingot molds identified by the reference numerals 1' and 1". When the mold 1 is filled, the ladle 4 moves into the position of FIG. 1 to fill up the mold 1'. The width of the space 6 (see FIG. 3)

between the open upper end of a mold 1 and the under- 1 side of the casting ladle 4 is insuflicient to permit convenient insertion of conventional heating systems which are utilized for preventing the formation of so-called pipe in the ingot contained in a mold 1, i.e. the presently known electrodes for use in such heating arrangements are too bulky and cannot be inserted into the space 6 to be set in operation before the casting ladle 4 moves away from the top of an ingot mold.

FIGS. 2 to 5 illustrate one form of the improved heating arrangement. Referring first to FIG. 2, the platform 2 is formed with a first row of sealable circular openings 7 which row is parallel with a second row of sealable rectangular openings 8. The openings 7 are closer to the longitudinal edge portion of the platform 2 and to the ingot molds 1 and, as shown inFIG. 3, each thereof may receive a tubular insert or upright 9 which constitutes.

the main support for the electrode 12 and is provided with a plate-like flange 9, the latters purpose being to limit the extent to which the insert 9 may project into an opening 7. The upper end of the upright 9 carries a coaxial tubular cap or mufl? 10 which is rigidly secured, e.g. by welding, to a horizontal tubular member in the form of a sleeve or bush 13, the latter rotatably receiving an elongated horizontal tubular supporting member formed as a pipe 11 which may be fixed in any desired angular position by a screw 13a or the like (see FIG. 5). Thus, since the tubular members 10, 13 are rotatable about the vertical axis of the upright 9, and since the pipe 11 is rotatable about the horizontal axis of the tubular member 13, the pipe may be adjusted by swinging it about a vertical axis as well as by rotating it about a horizontal axis.

As is best shown in FIG. 3, the forward end of the pipe 11 is bent substantially at right angles to its longitudinal axis, as at 11', and supports an electrode 12 which latter, by suitable manipulation of its supporting means 9, 10, 11 and 13, may be caused to extend into the open upper end of an ingot mold 1. The pipe 11 houses the conduit means 20 for delivering coolant to the electrode 12 as well as the electrical conductors 15 for said electrode. The conduit means 20 and conductors 15 may be connected to suitable terminals of supply lines provided on the platforms 2 and accessible through the openings 8. The conduit means and conductors are preferably of the flexible type which enables an operator to adjust the electrode 12 in any desired position. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates two flexible conductors 15 leading into the rear end of the pipe 11 and to a pair of sockets 15a supported by a bracket 15b fixed to the underside of the platform 2 beneath an opening 8. The sockets 15b are connected to outlets of a current source by flexible conductors 15a. The conduit means 20 leads to a source of coolant 21.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a variable speed motor 14 whose purpose is to adjust the vertical position of electrode 12, i.e. to move the upright 9 with the pipe 11 vertically with respect to the flange 9'. The adjustments of the electrode 12 in dependency on the heating effect may be carried out in a fully automatic way, i.e. the movements of the electrode relative to the head of the ingot in an ingot mold 1 may be carried out with the help of automatically operable regulating means, not shown.

It has been found that the mounting of tubular electrode-supporting means 11 in such a way that it can rotate in the hollow sleeve 13 is particularly advantageous for proper and convenient handling of the electrode 12. Thus, in order to introduce the electrode into the narrow space 6 between the underside of the casting ladle 4 and the open upper end of an ingot mold 1, the bent end portion 11' of the pipe 111's turned into a fully or nearly horizontal plane before returning said end portion into its normal vertical position of FIGS. 3 or 4. In such manner, the electrode 12 may be readily introduced into a space whose width only slightly exceed the diameter of the pipe 11.

While FIG. 1 illustrates only one electrode and only one removable adjusting and supporting means therefor, the platform 2 may simultaneously support two, three or more electrodes. The area of openings 8 is such that the electrode 12 may be swung over the entire upper side of the ingot in a selected mold 1 without anyinterference between the platform Wall surrounding an opening 8 and the conduits or conductors leading to the electrode. The circular openings 7 which accommodate the supporting and adjusting means for the electrode may be sealed by suitable cover means 7a one of which is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2. Similarly, the openings 8 may be sealed by removable cover means 8a. FIG. 4 shows a handgrip member 11a by means of which the tube 11 may be turned about its longitudinal axis. As best shown in FIG. 3, the open upper ends of ingot molds 1 are located at a level slightly above the level of the horizontal platform 2.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the tubular supporting member 11 for the electrode 12 is again mounted for rotational movements in a normally horizontal sleeve 13. The latter is provided with a pair of diametrically 0pposed, horizontal, outwardly extending pivot axles 16 each received in a recess formed in the bifurcated upper end portion of a bearing bracket 18 which is carried by the flange 9'. The upwardly extending prongs 17 of bearing brackets 18 maintain the pivot axles in requisite position. 'It will be seen that the modified arrangement of FIG. 6 facilitates adjustments of the electrode 12 in three different directions, i.e. the electrode may be rotated with the pipe 11 in the sleeve 13, it may be swung with the pipe 11 and sleeve 13 about the common horizontal axis of the pivot axles 16, and it may be lifted and lower-ed with the help of the motor 14 of FIGS. 3 and 4. The rotary movements of pipe 11 in its sleeve 13 may be carried out by hand, i.e. with the help of aforementioned handgrip means 110. The friction between the bearing member 18 and the pivot axles 16 is preferably selected in such a way that the pipe 11 and the sleeve 13 remain in any selected position of adjustment with respect to the common horizontal axis of pivot axles 16, i.e. that the electrode 12 remains in any selected position after a pivotal movement of the pipe 11 about the horizontal axis and after subsequent release by an operators hand. Alternately, the adjustments of the pipe 11 in the directions of the double arrow 19 and in a horizontal plane may be brought about with the help of a motoroperated cable line or a motor-operated rack-and-pinion drive, not shown. The cable or the ra-ck-and-pinion drive may be operatively connected with the forward end portion 11 or with the rear end portion of pipe 11.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mill for the production of steel ingots and the like, in combination, a teeming platform; a plurality of ingot molds adjacent to said platform; casting ladle means mounted for movement into a position located directly at least above a selected ingot mold and defining a gap with said ingot mold .above the same; and means for heating the head of an ingot formed in said mold, said heating means comprising mounting means carried by said platform, elongated supporting means angularly turnable about a horizontal axis and received in said mounting means and comprising an inclined end portion extendable into said gap when disposed in a substantially horizontal plane, and electrode means connected with said end portion, said electrode means projecting into said selected ingot mold upon angular turning of said supporting means about said horizontal axis with said end portion extending downwardly from said horizontal plane.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supporting means is longitudinally moveably received in said mounting means.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supporting means is angularly adjustable about said mounting means in a vertical plane.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supporting means is angularly adjustable about said mounting means in a substantially horizontal plane.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supporting means is a tubular member and said platform is formed with a first and a second row of openings, said mounting means removably received in one opening of said first row of openings and said heating means further comprising conduit and conductor means for respectively conveying a coolant to said electrode means and for connecting said electrode means with a source of electric current, said conduit and conductor means extending through said supporting means and through one opening of said second row of openings.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 5, wherein said platform has a longitudinal edge portion adjacent to said ingot molds and said first row of openings is closer to said edge portion than said second row of openings.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 5, further comprising removable cover means for each of said openings.

8. In a mill for the production of steel ingots and the like, in combination, a teeming platform; at least one ingot mold adjacent to said platform and having an open upper end; and means for heating the head of the ingot formed in said mold, said heating means comprising mounting means carried by said platform, elongated supporting means rotatably received in and pivotable about said mounting means in a substantially horizontal plane located at a level above said upper end, said supporting means comprising an inclined end portion and electrode means connected with said end portion, said electrode means located at a level below the upper end of said mold when said supporting means is rotated into a position in which its end portion extends downwardly from said plane and said electrode means being extendable into said open end while said supporting means remains in said plane upon rotation of said supporting means to move said end portion and said electrode means into said plane, upon pivoting of said supporting means in said plane to move said end portion and said electrode means above said upper end, and upon rotation of said supporting means to introduce said end portion and said electrode means into said open end.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,160,169 11/1915 Hering 11-74 2,055,527 9/1936 Glaum 226-23 2,385,206 9/1945 Hopkins 2261 2,441,416 5/1948 Hopkins 2274 OTHER REFERENCES The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel: 7th ed., United States Steel Corp. (1957). FIGURE 4 on fold out page following p. 334.

MARCUS U. LYONS, Primary Examiner. MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Examiner. 

1. IN A MILL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF STEEL INGOTS AND THE LIKE, IN COMBINATION, A TEEMING PLATFORM; A PLURALITY OF INGOT MOLDS ADJACENT TO SAID PLATFORM; CASTING LADLE MEANS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT INTO A POSITION LOCATED DIRECTLY AT LEAST ABOVE A SELECTED INGOT MOLD AND DEFINING A GAP WITH SAID INGOT MOLD ABOVE THE SAME; AND MEANS FOR HEATING THE HEAD OF AN INGOT FORMED IN SAID MOLD, SAID HEATING MEANS COMPRISING MOUNTING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID PLATFORM, ELONGATED SUPPORTING MEANS ANGULARLY TURNTABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND RECEIVED IN SAID MOUNTING MEANS AND COMPRISING IN INCLINED END PORTION EXTENDABLE INTO SAID GAP WHEN DISPOSED IN A SUBSTANTIALY HORIZONTAL PLANE, AND ELECTRODE MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID END PORTION, SAID ELECTRODE MEANS PROJECTING INTO SAID SELECTED INGOT MOLD UPON ANGULAR TURNING OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS ABOUT SAID HORIZONTAL AXIS WITH SAID END PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID HORIZONTAL PLANE. 